I'm new to this list, so please escuse my ignorance if I'm asking
questions that were covered previously.

I intend to sign up with Comcast. I'm using an iMac with Panther 10.3.x,
and I'm not a very technically-oriented person:

Can I use my own modem? If so, which one would you recommend, given the
following anticipated use: (price is not a controlling factor)

I need the capability to switch back and forth between my current ISP
and Comcast, as Comcast isn't too reliable in our neighborhood and can
be "out" for hours at a time. I don't want to have to "fiddle"
extensively to get back on line with Comcast once it's up again.

I already have a firewall software program installed (IP Net Sentry)

I have more thumbs than fingers < grin >. I'm NOT a super genius when
it comes to understanding modem quirks and settings. Ease and simplicity
of operation is needed

TIA

George

--
George Berger
gberger@his.com

George C. Berger wrote:
Motorola SB5100 would be a good choice.

I'd still get a router/firewall - they're as little as free. Netgear
or Linksys would be good inexpensive choices. Wired or wireless G
router depending on your need.

I agree with what you wrote. Good advice. I think the OP should know that
I had numerous problems (intermittent loss of connection) with a Motorola
SB5100 on Comcast, though. It took months and many phone calls and "chat"
sessions to try to get Comcast to fix it. They even sent a tech out a
couple of times to check my lines and told me there was nothing wrong. I
finally figured out it had to be the modem. All my hardware was good
(different computers tested individually had the same problem), but Comcast
swore up and down that their was no problem on their end, or on my line in
my house. All that was left was the modem. I bought a Linksys BEFCMU10
(V3) to replace it, and my connection on Comcast has been rock-solid steady
ever since. Oh, and my download speeds have greatly increased, also. It's
not that the Motorola modem was bad, but the intermittent service outages
were maddening. It COULD have been my specific modem was defective.
However, as the Linksys is both more reliable AND faster than the Motorola,
I'd recommend the Linksys over the SB5100 specifically.

To the OP, I would say: If you have two Internet services, make sure both
modems (one for each service) are ethernet style so that you can plop a
router between a modem and your computer. Any good router should
automatically configure itself for whatever Internet connection you are
using, other than entering your password if you need to configure PPPOE (for
DSL). So switching from one Internet service to the other COULD be as easy
as swapping one cable on the back of your router and then powering up modem,
router and computer in that order. I would also recommend Netgear or
Linksys router, wired or wireless G. I use a Netgear WGR614 myself
(wireless G) and it works fantastic. Haven't tried it on anything but
Comcast cable modem, but previous experience with other Netgear brand
routers tells me they work great for DSL, also. -Dave

George C. Berger wrote:
Do you mean dialup and cable? Or do you mean dsl and cable?

Ed


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Ed and Dave -

I have a 56k dial-up account with a local ISP that is excellent, and I
want to keep that dial-up connection to use when Comcast goes sour.

I'm too far from the station for DSL, and, in this area, Verizon only
offers it with a mandatory tie-in to Microsoft - - so I wouldn't touch
it anyway.

So, I want to use broadband as primary, and keep my dial-up account as
a backup.

George

--
George Berger
gberger@his.com

Oh, you mean the one where the problem mysteriously disappeared when I
replaced the modem and made no other changes? Probably. -Dave

In article <gberger-6FBEF9.11462409092004@news101.his.com>, George C. Berger
says...

I don't know about cable modems, being a DSL customer. For a router I would
suggest the SMC Barricade 7004BR. It has an RS-232 port which can connect to
an external dial-up modem. I believe one improvement over my SMC Barricade
7004BR is that the dial-up can be configured in "fail-over" mode. If your
Comcast connection is dropped, the router will detect that, and
automatically connect via the dial-up modem.

--
Norman
~Win dain a lotica, En vai tu ri, Si lo ta
~Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain
~Vi fa-ru les shutai am, En riga-lint

In article <gberger-811469.15053609092004@news101.his.com>,
George C. Berger <gberger@his.com> wrote:
:Ed and Dave -
:
:I have a 56k dial-up account with a local ISP that is excellent, and I
:want to keep that dial-up connection to use when Comcast goes sour.
:
:I'm too far from the station for DSL, and, in this area, Verizon only
ffers it with a mandatory tie-in to Microsoft - - so I wouldn't touch
:it anyway.
:
:So, I want to use broadband as primary, and keep my dial-up account as
:a backup.

A cable modem is nothing like your current 56K modem. A cable modem
will connect to your RJ-45 network interface ("Ethernet") connector
(preferred) or to a USB port. You can certainly keep your existing 56K
modem for use with your dialup account. You will need a new cable
modem, either provided by Comcast or purchased by you. Check into
available rebates if you want to go the "purchase" route.

--
Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "rnichols42"

Ed, Bill, Dave, Norman, Bob and Mady

Thanks for the information on the modem! It's obvious I still have
homework to do, bt you have pointed me in the right direction.

Thanks Again, George

--
George Berger
gberger@his.com

yes you can run both a cable modem and dialup, of course not at the same
time.
I do it with my laptop, have a wi-fi and dialup. I use the dialup when I
need it, usually went I
am out of town.
"George C. Berger" <gberger@his.com> wrote in message
news:gberger-6FBEF9.11462409092004@news101.his.com...

In article <pDE2d.65544$D%.10338@attbi_s51>,
"BigJIm" <Jim10277@hotmail.com> wrote:

Thanks, Jim -

We have a savvy friend that showed me how to switch from cable to
dial-up, and back again, depending on which ISP we want to use.

Now, all I have to figure out is which modem to get. Suggestions have
been all over the map, both on this list and from friends.

Thanks again,

George